Strong, dependable, enthusiastic - these are the characteristics that Steven Kitshoff's under-8 coach remembers him for, and ones the Springboks will no doubt be calling on when they face the All Blacks in the World Cup final on Saturday.
Marlene Punt coached the 7-year-old Kitshoff when he attended Laerskool Hendrik Louw in Strand, Cape Town.
Punt was called up after the team's coach tore a ligament, starting a 15-year rugby coaching career at the primary school where she taught for three decades.